Ian Meldrum

Ian "Molly" Meldrum (born January 29, 1946) is an Australian popular music critic, journalist, and record producer, and musical entrepreneur best known as talent co-ordinator, on-air interviewer and music news presenter on seminal popular music program Countdown. He acted as talent co-ordinator for the show's entire 1974 to 1987 run; his on-air role was between the years of 1975 and 1986.

Countdown years

After returning to Australia in the early 1970s, Meldrum continued writing for the music press as well as venturing back into television as the presenter of a shortlived TV children's show, where he met producers Michael Shrimpton and Rob Weekes.

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Ca. 1974, Meldrum, Shrimpton and Weekes approached the ABC with the concept for a new weekly pop music show, based on the British show Top Of The Pops and on the Australian pop show Kommotion, on which Meldrum had appeared in the mid-1960s. Countdown premiered in November 1974, with Meldrum as the show's talent coordinator. He did not originally appear in the series, which had a different guest host each week; his first on-screen appearances were in the "Humdrum" music news segment in mid-1975, but by the end of that year he had become the 'face' of the series.

Related Topics:
ABC - Top Of The Pops - Countdown

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Originally broadcast weekly, early on Saturday evening for 30 minutes, Countdown was fortunate to have begun just before the introduction of colour television in Australia in March 1975. Equally crucial to its success was the move in January that year to the 6pm Sunday timeslot, with the show being extended to 60 minutes. Its reach was further enhanced by the fact that the Saturday timeslot was also retained and used to repeat the previous week's show. The combination of the ABC's nationwide reach, the novelty of colour broadcasting and the show's dual timelsot enabled Coutdown to reach an unprecedented number of viewers. It soon became the most successful and popular music program ever made in Australia and exerted a massive influence on Australian music over the next decade.

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The advent of colour TV coincided with a major change in the direction of Australian popular music, and it was vital in breaking the pop band Skyhooks among others, and making national stars of pop bands such as Sherbet.

Related Topics:
Skyhooks - Sherbet

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Countdown benefitted from the fact that it appeared just as the music video genre was taking off. Indeed, the show was instrumental in popularising the use of purpose-made promotional videos -- which had previously only been a minor part of pop show programmming - and its extensive use of film-clips and videos by both established and emerging overseas acts (who at that time toured Australia only rarely) made Countdown an important venue for breaking new songs and new groups.

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The series is credited with giving early exposure to and generating breakthrough Australian hits for a number of major international acts including ABBA, Meatloaf, Blondie, Boz Scaggs, Cyndi Lauper and Madonna. Meldrum made many overseas trips and became personally friendly with many of the top pop and rock stars of the period, enabling Countdown to gain many international exclusives.

Related Topics:
ABBA - Meatloaf - Blondie - Boz Scaggs - Cyndi Lauper - Madonna

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Meldrum's notoreity was at odds with his (oft-criticised) on-screen performances, and he became legendary for his rambling and sometimes incomprehensible commentaries and interview questions. He was also noted for several famous on-screen gaffes, including one famous incident during an interview with HRH Prince Charles in which the clearly terrified Meldrum repeatedly bungled his lines and famously asked the prince "How's your mother?" -- to which the price is reported to have replied coolly, "Oh, you mean Her Majesty?".

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Despite his apparent ineptitude, Meldrum soon became a major star in his own right and is now inextricablty linked with Countdown. He was also notable as a tireless champion of local Australian talent and for his regular use of the show to pressure local radio to play more Australian music. As a result of his efforts, Countdown was soon in a position to make overnight hits with songs and performers it featured, and through the late 1970s and early 1980s it was arguably the key factor in determining the direction of Australian popular music.

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